Conventional PLC software simulators do not currently support multiple PLCs in a network. Thus, a need exists in the industry for software to simulate entire PLC networks (1 or more PLCs) to test an application before installing it on a real network. This simulation should be able to provide a mechanism for monitoring communication as well as providing a mechanism for generating a variety of network related failures. Human-Machine Interface (HMI) applications should be able to connect to the simulated network for communication testing purposes.